Simpler Times
by Eviefan
Summary: Bella and Edward spending time with a very young Renesmee. Takes place three nights after Bella comes out of her transformation. Please feel free to review, and this is a fluff piece..


**Simpler Times**

**Edward's POV**

Being in our cabin alone with our baby brought everything in prospective for me. Two nights ago my wife finished her transformation. There had been so much going on at the time that we welcomed leaving our daughter with the rest of our family. Last night Bella and I agreed that it was time for Renesmee to stay with us at night, and now we were sitting on a quilt watching Renesmee trying to figure out a puzzle Alice had gotten for her earlier today.

Already she could sit up on her own for twenty minutes at a time. Renesmee could sit up from a laying position and could get up on her hands and knees. All of this would have been exciting to watch, but she was only a few days old.

"I keep wondering when she will learn another skill," Bella whispered leaning against me as Renesmee grew frustrated with the puzzle and let the piece in her hand drop.

I had longer to come to terms with all of this, but understood Bella's concern. Carefully, I reached out and lifted our baby up turning her around and letting her stand up on my lap.

Renesmee looked from Bella to me before reaching her hand out and putting her hand on my cheek. In my mind I saw her on Emmett's lap watching as he and Rosalie put together a more complex puzzle. Her mind sharing didn't end there and when she showed me another image of me giving her a bath I knew what she wanted more than working the puzzle.

I stood up pulling Bella with me as Renesmee rested against my left arm. "She's ready for a bath," I told my wife as I led her into Renesmee's new room.

Before I could move Bella walked to the dresser and opened the drawers needed to get out a clean nightgown along with a clean diaper and a soft hooded towel.

In our bathroom, I pulled the stopper in the sink and turned on the water as Bella took our baby from my arms. I poured a little bit of mild baby soap into the water and as I shut it off Bella was back by my side with our daughter undressed, ready for her bath. "You've done this before?"

"Renesmee showed me what you do," Bella said as we both chuckled.

Bella put her down in the water and our baby began to splash. This time I did the bathing while my wife played with her, and I enjoyed watching Bella so happy.

What neither of us was prepared for was when I began to lift Renesmee out. Our daughter began to fuss for the first time in her life, though once I let her go she settled back into playing.

"That was new," Bella said holding her hand against Renesmee's back.

It was, and the first time Renesmee had asserted her own will to have her way. Always before she would show us what she wanted, and never made a sound when it was time for something she needed like having her diaper changed or settling in for a nap.

We splashed with her for a couple of more minutes before I knelt down. "Renesmee, it's time for you to get dried off," I said.

She held out her wet hand and put it to my cheek showing me when she had fussed. My baby still wasn't ready to come out of there, but the water was getting cold.

It seemed like this was our first test as parents, and after telling Bella how to wrap the towel around her I prepared myself before lifting Renesmee from the water.

She fussed only as long as it took for Bella to wrap her in the towel. Once she was cradled in her mother's arms, Renesmee settled down.

In our room, I spread out a second towel before moving aside letting Bella lay her on the bed. "Do you think you can manage while I get her a bottle?"

"I think so," My wife said sounding a little uncertain.

The one thing we hadn't done was bring a couple of bottles with us and I hurried out of the house to get them and get back to my wife.

**~*~*~*~**

**Bella's POV**

Somewhere in my hazy human memories, I quickly tried recalling the few times I had babysat and had to change a diaper. As I did that, my daughter gazed up at me waiting more patiently than was normal, but then again she was special and that was what I loved about her. "Mommy needs to get used to this," I told her, as I began to dry her off.

It was still hard to believe that she was real and mine. Once she was dry, I reached for the diaper, but Renesmee cried out once holding her hand out for me. I nervously took it putting it to my face and saw what she was agitated about. Edward always rubbed a little baby powder on her bottom, and I realized I didn't have that.

Once she was wrapped up I cradled Renesmee in my arms and got her diaper and nightgown taking them back to her room. "I'm not as good at this as Daddy," I said softly, and my baby smiled at me, not seeming to mind.

Once she was powdered, diapered, and dressed in her nightgown, I walked over to her crib and picked up a soft pink blanket with satin edges, draping that over my shoulder as my daughter snuggled against me.

There was a comfortable looking rocking chair not far from her bed and as I sat down there Edward came with her bottle, "Is this what you do before she goes to sleep?"

"And after," my husband said as I cradled Renesmee in my left arm.

When she reached for the bottle, Edward guided it into her mouth, and our baby shut her eyes as she began to drink. "How long do we get to do this," I whispered, glad that he already knew my meaning.

"Carlisle is still trying to find a trend in her current growth pattern. I've come to realize that we just have to take this all one day at a time."

I nodded knowing that he was right.

Renesmee was asleep before she finished her bottle, and once she was against my shoulder snuggling closer to my body, I found that I didn't want to put her down in her crib. "She's going to get very spoiled this way," I said turning my head to breathe in her sweet smell.

For two nights Edward and I had spent most of our time in one another's arms, and while the desire was still there, a greater one to keep holding my baby kept me where I was. Who knew how long Renesmee would want this, and Edward and I had eternity for everything else.


End file.
